I'm a Plan Participant

Your spending plan

See how much to save now

See how much to contribute

A good retirement begins with saving early and building your savings over time. You still have time to make your money work for you through the power of compound interest.

Prioritize Saving for Retirement

Starting and supporting a family, purchasing a home, and paying off debt are common expenses that arise in your 30s. Even with these savings priorities, it’s important to build a foundation today for the kind of life you want in retirement.

If you haven’t begun to save yet, now is the time you want to get more serious about it. Make sure you are saving as much as possible; try to keep to the guideline of saving 15% of your salary, which includes what your Y contributes on your behalf. Consider giving yourself a “raise” by increasing your retirement contribution whenever you get a raise at work. You can’t wait until you are 40 or 50 years of age to start saving for retirement.

Continue to Watch Your Spending Plan

Continue to keep yourself on a spending plan and check to ensure sound financial health. Tracking your spending is the best way to keep yourself in check. Be thoughtful when deciding how you spend your money. If you have a spouse, make sure you both understand what your finances look like and what that means for your lifestyle. The most important thing is to know what is coming in and what is going out. Pay off high interest rate credit cards every month. If you already have debts, make sure you are working to pay them off and avoid incurring more.

Open or increase your contribution to the 403(b) Smart Account

Thousands of Y employees are voluntarily saving their own tax-deferred dollars with the Fund. There is no minimum amount required to open an account, and any Y employee can open an account at any time. You can change or stop the amount you save at any time, and there is no minimum balance to keep your account open, as long as you are working for the Y.